Afghanistan

In December of 2001, the mightiest military force the world has ever known launched 'Operation Enduring Freedom' in Afghanistan. Today, the US and NATO military mission in that distant country officially comes to a close, but the foe remains unvanquished.

Kabul is against Washington's alleged decision to transfer weapons and machinery left from its military mission in Afghanistan to Ukraine, an Afghan presidential administration official told TASS. The issue will be discussed with Obama, he added.

Pakistan’s leadership overnight agreed on a comprehensive antiterrorism action plan. They will revamp the criminal system, crackdown on terrorist hideouts, communications and sources of income, and establish a 5,000-strong counter-terrorism force.

The Taliban is not a spent force yet, and Afghanistan will continue to be an extremely volatile area, says journalist Jere Van Dyk. There’s also a chance that this network as well as ISIS can spread into the Central Asian republics, he told RT.

The US Department of Defense announced that four Afghan detainees who had been held for over a decade at the Guantanamo Bay military prison have been returned to their home country as part of a push to eventually close the detention center.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald said Dick Cheney is able to brag about the success of torture on weekend news shows because the Obama administration has decided to shield torturers rather than prosecute them.

Combined civilian casualties in Afghanistan will top 10,000 deaths and injuries this year, the UN has estimated, noting the highest civilian death toll on record and a nearly 20 percent increase compared to previous year.

Drone strikes and other targeted counterinsurgency programs aimed at capturing or killing “high-value targets” belonging to militant groups could be effective if coupled with larger strategic goals, the CIA believes, but they could also backfire.

Fear of the Taliban pushes people either to join them or to side with the government and fight them, but civilians mainly tend to join radicals as it is easier to do so, Middle East expert Catherine Shakdam told RT.

The Afghanistan war has cost the United States around $1 trillion and will consume billions dollars more in the future, after the 13-year war ends later this month, according to the Financial Times and independent reports.

Meet Afghanistan’s Bruce Lee look-alike, Abbas Alizada! The 20-year-old from Kabul, nicknamed 'Bruce Hazara,' not only bears a striking physical resemblance to the famous kung fu legend, but also manages to pull off his martial arts moves.